


High School Romance

by TheSopherfly



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (if you squint), Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dating, First Kiss, High School, Implied/Referenced Sex, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Teen Romance, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:07:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22086118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSopherfly/pseuds/TheSopherfly
Summary: Football captain Bucky Barnes asks math and science whiz Tony Stark on a date. Tony thinks it's a joke at first, but it's not long before Tony starts to fall hard and fast... that is, until Tony discovers that Bucky asked him out on a bet.~Modern High School AU. Light angst/misunderstanding with a happy ending. Teen romance, written for the 2019 WinterIron Holiday Exchange.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 17
Kudos: 486
Collections: 2019 WinterIron_Holiday_Exchange





	High School Romance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IronEyes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronEyes/gifts).



“What’re you staring at?”

“Huh?” Tony whipped around to face Rhodey, blinking away his distraction. He hadn’t been staring _again_ , had he? Since when had staring at Bucky Barnes become as automatic as breathing? 

_Maybe since you developed the world’s biggest crush on a guy you have absolutely no chance with._

It hadn’t happened overnight. At the beginning of the semester, Tony and Bucky hadn’t been more than casual acquaintances. They'd done a few group lab projects together in AP chemistry — apparently playing football didn’t actually destroy a person’s brains, because Bucky was pretty damn smart — and bonded during their study period over their English Lit professor’s hard-ass grading methods. 

They weren’t quite friends, couldn’t be since they only ever talked in class, but when they did talk, it wasn’t the bullshit that Tony had once expected from someone like Bucky, someone popular. Bucky remembered things. He’d remembered Tony’s first STEM competition. Maybe that had been the pivotal moment. Bucky had remembered an important detail about Tony without being prompted, and had said something nice with zero expectations.

_There’s something psychological in that, you know._

Of course Tony knew. But just because he understood the psychology, didn’t make him like Bucky any less. In fact, since then, every interaction had made him acutely aware of just how great Bucky was. He’d started inventing reasons to be around Bucky outside of their normal class time. He’d gone to one of Steve’s art shows. He’d gone to a _football game._ And he’d gotten into the very bad habit of staring openly at Bucky from across the hall. 

“Tones?”

Tony blinked again, realizing that he hadn’t actually answered Rhodey’s question. “Nothing,” he said quickly. “Just… daydreaming.”

Rhodey raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Right. So you’re saying you _weren’t_ looking at Barnes.”

“Yep. Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Tony snuck a quick glance back at Bucky, who was busy shoving a hulking chemistry book into his locker. The book was fighting back, which meant Bucky probably didn’t keep things very well organized in there. Not that Tony was in a position to judge. His own locker was an explosion of organized chaos, papers and books and homework assignments strewn everywhere. _Messy lockers. The only thing Bucky and I have in common._

Tony knew it was a lost cause. Bucky was out of his league. The nerd-jock romance thing would always be fated to fail, and anyway, Tony had enough to worry about without a complicated relationship — _as if he’d ever date you to begin with_ — to distract him. He had classes, homework, extracurriculars and his future to consider, namely multiple scholarship offers from multiple universities and pressure from his father to commit to one.

_My choice,_ Tony had to keep reminding himself. _If Howard’s not paying for it, it’s my choice._

He was leaning toward MIT, though the weather and the distance from his father made Stanford a close second. He wondered what colleges Bucky was considering. Probably football colleges, considering Bucky was the all star school quarterback. That meant places like Ohio State and University of Alabama. Nowhere near where Tony was likely to end up. Another reason not to get involved with someone like Bucky. They were headed in entirely different directions.

_God, he’s gorgeous, though._ And not a terrible person, either. Despite his superstar status, Bucky didn’t walk around like he owned the place. He didn’t have an attitude, and he didn’t ignore anyone just for being lower on the social ladder. Tony hadn’t spent much time with any of Bucky’s friends, but he knew enough about them. Steve, when he wasn’t playing football, was into painting and drawing, and Bucky always bumped Steve’s art posts on social media. Natasha was some kind of hand-to-hand combat expert, and spent all of her after-school time practicing Judo and Karate and Krav Maga. Sam already had his eye on some kind of position in the Military, maybe Army, maybe Air Force. Clint was into hunting, and was trying to start an archery club, though the school board hadn’t yet approved it. Something to do with it promoting the use of weapons. At any rate, they might’ve had strange interests, but they all seemed like good people. And good people didn’t spend time with bad people, so it stood to reason that Bucky must’ve been a good person, too.

“You could just ask him out, you know,” Rhodey said, and damn it, had Tony been staring _again?_

“No way. He’s-”

“A jock? Tony, you know that’s actually not a big deal, right?”

“Might be a big deal for him.” Then again, it might not be a big deal at all. Maybe Bucky was the coolest, least self-obsessed jock there ever was. It certainly seemed like that might be true. But Tony still wasn’t about to embarrass himself by trying to find out for sure. “Anyway, it’s nothing. He’s objectively hot, and I’m allowed to look as long as I don’t draw attention to myself, thank you very much.”

“Alright, Tones. Whatever you say.” Rhodey clapped a hand on Tony’s shoulder, and Tony rolled his eyes. That was obviously the desired response; Rhodey’s smile as he closed his locker was a little too triumphant. “You have fun with your _daydream_. I’ll see you this afternoon.” 

Rhodey slung his backpack over one shoulder and made his way down the hall. Tony gave him a little mock-salute, threw one more covert glance in Bucky’s direction, then busied himself switching his calculus books out for his history texts.

~

“What’re you staring at?”

Bucky didn’t hear the question at first. Something had caught his attention — or rather, someone.

_Tony Stark._

He knew he was being obvious, staring at Tony from across the hall like a lovesick idiot. He couldn’t help it. Tony’s locker was so close, and Bucky had let himself get caught off guard by that perfect hair and that lopsided smile. Of course, that wasn’t anything new. Tony had become Bucky’s favorite distraction. When had that happened? Sometime between the start of the year and today. Had it been at the homecoming dance, when Tony had taken off that expensive suit coat and thrown it across the room? Or in AP chemistry, where Tony had recited the whole periodic table for extra credit? He’d looked so proud of himself, smiling a toothy, triumphant smile, and Bucky was sure it hadn’t even been hard for him. The intelligence, the self assuredness, those intense brown eyes and soft-looking lips — how could Bucky not like Tony? Tony was… fascinating. Funny. A smart-ass who could run circles around any teacher who tried to put him in his place. And unlike Bucky, Tony didn’t take shit from anyone. 

They didn’t run in the same circles, but this year they had four out of seven classes together. Four out of seven classes where Bucky now found it nearly impossible to focus. And Bucky didn’t even mind.

_Whap!_

Bucky felt the lab-book hit him over the head before he knew what it was. “Ow!” His hand moved reflexively to block the spot in case the book came at him again. “What was that for?”

“You’re drooling,” Natasha replied, popping her locker open and waving the lab book in his face before setting it down on the top shelf.

Sam smirked in amused agreement. “Your mouth was hanging open, man.”

Christ. Bucky rubbed a hand over his mouth just to make sure it was closed, his palm catching on stubble. “Sorry,” he mumbled, trying to hide his embarrassment by yanking his chemistry book out of his backpack and forcing it into his locker. It took more effort than he’d expected, and he briefly considered that it might be time to actually organize his locker so he didn’t have to fight with it every damn day. 

“I just had the craziest idea,” Natasha said, stepping in front of him to halt his progress as he scanned for his history book. “What if you _go over there and ask him out?”_

“Please,” Sam said before Bucky could respond. “He’s been like this for months. You think today’s the day he grows a pair?”

“Come on,” Natasha pushed. She crossed her arms, meeting Bucky's eyes. “I dare you.”

Bucky tried to laugh, but it came out more like a cough. “Nat, people who do what you dare them to do usually end up in big trouble.”

Natasha pursed her lips, considering. “Fine. How about a bet? I bet you won’t go over there and ask Tony out _and_ follow through with the date.”

“I’ll take that bet,” Sam said. “How much?”

“Two hundred dollars.”

Shit. Two hundred dollars? That kind of money might not have meant a lot to some people, but it meant a lot to Bucky. He’d had to work nights and weekends for months just to afford his letterman jacket. “That’s a lot,” Bucky said. “Why would you waste it on me?”

“Because you’re driving me _insane,”_ she growled. “Anyway. If you two do end up going out long term, you’ll need some extra cash. So. How about it, Barnes? You wanna prove us wrong?”

Bucky did. And he didn’t. He bit the inside of his lip.

“You have three minutes,” Natasha warned. “The offer is only good if you ask before class.”

With that kind of money, Bucky could apply to more colleges. The ones he wanted to go to, and not the ones that wanted him just for football. Besides, was there really any harm in asking Tony out? “What if he says no?” Bucky asked.

“Then I’ll give you half.”

Bucky nodded once. “Alright. I’ll do it.”

The walk to Tony’s locker couldn’t have taken more than a few seconds, but it lasted an eternity. It was more than enough time for Bucky to lose his nerve. He reached Tony just as Rhodes was walking away, and he stepped in to occupy the empty space, feeling awkward and nervous as hell. “Hey.”

Tony glanced up, obviously surprised. “Hi.”

“Um.” Bucky took a breath, immediately wishing he hadn’t taken this bet. Tony was going to say no. Tony was going to shut him down, and then Bucky would have to transfer schools. Or maybe he’d just die of embarrassment on the spot.

“Hey. Earth to Bucky.” Bucky blinked, and Tony tilted his head in concern. “You okay?”

“Yeah! Sorry, I. I just… I came over here to ask you somethin’.”

Tony’s concern turned skeptical, and brown eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Okay. Shoot.”

_Come on, Barnes. Now or never._ Bucky braced himself for rejection, then finally managed to ask, “Would you wanna go out with me sometime?”

~

Tony had never actually done a double-take before. It felt almost theatrical, too dramatic and yet totally appropriate, because Bucky Barnes had just asked him out.

_What?_

“You’re joking, right?” It was the only explanation that made sense. This was a joke. It had to be. Otherwise… No. Tony wasn’t even going to follow that line of thought. If Bucky actually _liked_ him, his whole world might just turn upside down. “You must be joking. This is a ‘make fun of the science guy’ thing.”

Bucky frowned, stuffing his hands awkwardly into the pockets of his letterman jacket. “I’m actually serious.”

That… that just wasn’t possible. It didn’t compute. Except that Bucky didn’t look like he was joking. “Really,” Tony said. “You’re sure this isn’t just some trick to give your friends a laugh?”

“My friends ain’t that mean,” Bucky replied. Tony quirked an eyebrow. “Okay, yeah, Nat beat up that guy Rumlow, but he was askin’ for it.”

If Tony remembered correctly, Natasha had given Rumlow a _concussion_. Tony glanced back over his shoulder, but Natasha and Sam weren’t looking at them. Huh. Maybe it wasn’t a joke. Maybe Bucky really was asking him out. He frowned, then considered Bucky, not missing the earnestness in those striking blue eyes. It would be easy to drown in Bucky’s eyes, he thought, if he wasn’t careful. “Alright,” Tony said, slow and tentative. “If you’re really serious… I guess one date couldn’t hurt.”

“This weekend? Saturday night?” Bucky almost looked like he hadn’t meant to sound so eager.

Tony allowed himself a small smile. “Saturday works. 

~

The restaurant Bucky had suggested was one Tony knew well, a little mom and pop Italian place in the suburbs. It was where Tony often went to celebrate Tech Club competition wins, usually with Rhodey or Bruce or Pepper. Since this was a date, Tony had prudently decided to take the car instead of walking, even if the restaurant was less than two miles from his house. Jarvis, as usual, had been more than happy to oblige. 

Tony had chosen his Black Sabbath tee, skinny jeans in a medium wash, and a plain black hoodie. He’d zipped it up halfway, enough that the graphic on his tee was still mostly visible. He took a quick look at his hair reflected in the glass door — everything was still well in place, thank goodness — before pushing it open and stepping inside.

It had taken ages for Saturday to come, and now that it had, Tony was nervous. Would he and Bucky have anything to talk about? Would the date be a dud? Or worse, would it turn out that Bucky had some kind of ulterior motive?

_Calm down. Just because most people do, doesn’t mean he does._

Tony tugged reflexively at one of the drawstrings on his hood, then spotted Bucky at a booth by the window. Bucky waved, and Tony’s heart fluttered a little at the gesture. “Hey,” Tony said, quickly crossing the distance and sliding into the seat across from Bucky.

“Hey.” Bucky smiled, and Tony noticed that he was clean shaven, although his hair was still adorably messy. He was wearing a plain button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top button open, and Tony had to admit that the slightly-less-casual look was working for him. “I told them not to bring the bread until you got here. It’s always better warm.”

“Smart man,” Tony said, adjusting in his seat and picking up the menu, although he hardly needed to read it. Still, it gave his nervous hands something to do. 

“I might’ve asked your friend Bruce where you might like to go for dinner,” Bucky admitted. “So I assume you know what’s good here?” 

Huh. That was flattering, knowing Bucky had intentionally chosen a place he’d known Tony would like. Somewhere Tony would be comfortable. Maybe there weren’t any bad intentions here. Maybe this really was a regular, run-of-the-mill date. In which case Tony had every right to enjoy himself. “Depends on what you like,” Tony said. “Do you prefer pasta, pizza, salad, or meat?” 

Bucky pursed his lips in thought, and Tony allowed himself to stare for just a few seconds. “I wanna say pasta, cause that’s more refined, I guess. But to be honest, it’s pizza.”

“Hmm. Okay. Then I’d say either the Margherita or the sausage. Either way, you can’t go wrong.” 

“Alright. Margherita it is.”

~

Soon after Tony sat down, the waitress arrived with warm bread, butter, and oil and vinegar. After seriously considering the spaghetti, Tony opted for ravioli instead, reassured that he wouldn’t be able to get marinara all over himself or something equally embarrassing. With the menus out of the way, there was nothing to distract them from each other; and as it turned out, he and Bucky had plenty to talk about. School. Their friends. Football. Tony hadn’t realized just how rigorous the practice schedule was, or that time not spent on the field had to be spent in the gym lifting weights to stay fit and, as Bucky had called it, ‘bulky.’

They had more in common than Tony had realized, too. Bucky was captain of the football team, while Tony was captain of his Tech Club competition team. Despite the minefield that was talking about families, apparently Bucky hated his own dad just as much as Tony hated Howard, and it was nice to know that not everyone had perfect parents like Tony’s friends did. 

Best of all, Bucky was funny. He made Tony laugh more than once, so hard that Tony worried diet coke might go up his nose. Tony managed to make Bucky laugh too, and the way that looked on Bucky’s handsome face was more than a little distracting.

When the food came, Tony bartered his way into a slice of pizza, dropping a ravioli onto Bucky’s bread plate in exchange.

“D’you always force your dates to trade food with you?” Bucky asked jokingly.

“Yes.” Tony bit into the pizza, then said, “Can’t help it. Character flaw,” around the mouthful.

Bucky laughed. “It’s alright. I won’t hold it against you.” Bucky tried the ravioli, then nodded his approval. “That’s good too. Thinkin’ maybe we should switch.”

Tony finished chewing and swallowing, his eyes narrowed in thought. “I’ll split you fifty-fifty.”

“Deal.”

~

“So,” Bucky said as Tony finished his final slice of pizza. “Tell me somethin’ about you. Somethin’ that nobody knows.”

Tony hummed, licking salt off his fingers before answering. He was comfortable with Bucky now, comfortable enough to give a real answer. “I’m an insomniac,” he said. “And I have a crazy caffeine addiction to boot, so really I’m just fated to be a zombie for all time.”

“So I shouldn’t let you order an espresso for dessert is what you’re sayin’.”

Tony laughed. “Yes, exactly.”

Bucky took a sip of his soda, eyeing Tony with interest. “People don’t know that about you?”

“I don’t advertise it. Most people are asleep at two in the morning, so it’s no fun to text them since they won’t respond.”

“Hmm. So what do you do if you’re not sleeping?”

“I… tinker. Invent stuff. Work on my robots.”

Bucky’s eyebrows rose in interest. “You make your own robots? Not just as part of competition?”

“Who do you think I am? Of _course_ I make my own robots. None of this math and science shit would be any fun if I didn’t get to make stuff.” Tony downed the rest of his own soda, then looked Bucky over. “You wanna see?” 

Bucky looked more excited than Tony had expected. “Really?”

“Sure. I mean, I don’t have them with me-”

“Right, of course-”

“So you’d have to come back to my place, but that’s easy. If that sounds like something you’d want to do, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Bucky agreed quickly. “That sounds great.”

“Okay. Okay, great.” Tony picked up his phone and fired off a quick text to Jarvis. Then, before Bucky could argue with him, Tony pulled out his wallet and dropped a few twenties on the table. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Bucky blinked, then frowned. “You ain’t gonna let me pay?”

“Nope!” Tony stood, taking Bucky’s hand — when had he decided it was okay to hold hands with Bucky Barnes? — and dragging him toward the door. “Okay,” Tony said, stopping them beside the coat rack. “You have to promise you won’t freak out.”

“Why would I freak out?”

“My parents have a lot of money. My house is sort of… huge. Also, I have a car. And a driver. He’s sort of waiting outside.”

Bucky took a few seconds to process, smiled a little, then nodded. “Alright. Promise I won’t freak out.”

“Thank you.” Tony pulled the door open and stepped outside, where Jarvis was idling in front of the restaurant. “This is our ride.”

Bucky’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say anything, not even when Jarvis got out of the car to open the back door and usher them inside.

“Where to, Mr. Stark?” Jarvis asked when they were seated.

“Home,” Tony replied, noticing with another nervous flutter that Bucky hadn’t let go of his hand.

~

Tony gave Bucky the tour of the house, starting with the main entryway and leading him first upstairs, then to the main floor, then down to the basement where Tony kept his lab. He’d paused ever so briefly in his own room, wondering if Bucky’s thoughts had wandered like his to incredibly inappropriate places — inappropriate for a first date, anyway.

Bucky had barely said three words through the entire tour, taking everything in with wide eyes. When they made it to Tony’s lab and Tony switched on the lights, Bucky let out an audible gasp. “Tony, this is… this is all amazing. The house, the lab, the tech. It’s incredible.” His gaze grew pensive. “How come people don’t know?”

“I don’t tell people about it. I don’t want anyone pretending to like me just because of all this.”

“I liked you before I knew all this existed,” Bucky said, still looking around the lab in awe. “So you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Good to know.”

Tony lost track of time watching Bucky wander around and answering Bucky’s questions as he explored the lab. He wasn’t entirely sure he didn’t lose track of reality, too. It was surreal, having Bucky in his house. And the best thing was, Bucky didn’t even care that Tony was rich. Bucky didn’t plan to tell anyone. Bucky was just happy to be there, fascinated and awestruck. Happy to be in Tony’s company.

_Oh no. Don’t do that. Don’t start falling for him after one date just because he might legitimately like you._

A buzzing sound interrupted Tony’s thoughts. “It’s gettin’ late,” Bucky said after briefly checking his phone.

Tony pulled out his own phone and winced at the time. “Right. Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you so long.”

“It’s alright. I’ve really enjoyed this, I just gotta get home.” He paused a moment, then shook his head. “Probably be easiest to get an Uber.”

“Or you could let Jarvis take you home.”

“I couldn’t ask-”

“Who said you asked? I offered. Come on, it’ll be quicker. I insist.”

Bucky sighed. “Alright, alright. But just this once.”

“Sure. Of course. I’ll walk you to the door.” Tony texted Jarvis, then shut off the lights in the lab, leading Bucky back toward the main entrance. Bucky opened the front door just as Jarvis was pulling the car around. Tony followed Bucky out onto the porch, shutting the door gently behind them.

“So,” Bucky said. “Thanks for showin’ me around.”

“It was my pleasure.” Tony wished the words actually did his feelings justice. He hadn’t had so much fun showing off his inventions in a long time. And Bucky — well. He really liked Bucky. “I had a great night.”

“So did I.” Bucky searched Tony’s face, and Tony saw him hesitate. A few seconds went by, and Tony wondered if maybe Bucky wasn’t a kiss-on-the-first-date kind of guy — but then Bucky leaned in and pressed a kiss to Tony’s lips. It was short and soft, so gentle Tony wasn’t sure it had happened at all, except that his whole body was suddenly singing.

“Sorry,” Bucky murmured, staying close. “Couldn’t help myself.”

Tony shook his head, his lips tingling. “Don’t be sorry. That was… nice.” 

“Then you won’t mind if I try it again?”

“Not at all,” Tony said breathlessly.

The second kiss was nothing like the first. It was deep and demanding, and when Bucky leaned into him, Tony found himself pressed back into the door, Bucky’s hands warm on his hips. Tony arched forward and up, parting his lips, inviting Bucky in. Bucky’s tongue brushed Tony’s, then swept Tony’s mouth, exploring, tasting. Tony opened wider, and Bucky pressed closer, one hand moving to Tony’s hair, combing through the strands at the back of his neck. Tony leaned forward as Bucky pulled away, gasping when Bucky paused to suck on his lower lip.

“Um.” Tony leaned back against the door, meeting Bucky’s eyes. “It seems like this went well. Would you maybe want to go out again? Next weekend?” He knew he was pushing his luck, but he hadn’t been kissed like that in — he wasn’t sure he’d _ever_ been kissed like that. 

“How’s Saturday sound?”

Tony grinned. “Saturday sounds great.” He leaned in for one more kiss, and Bucky met him halfway. “Goodnight, then.”

Bucky took a step back, a smile in his eyes. “Goodnight.”

~

Before long, Tony spent every Saturday with Bucky, at least, every Saturday that they were both free. Saturdays turned into Saturdays and Sundays, then weeknights, then lunchtimes, until all of Tony’s free time was wrapped up in Bucky Barnes. How had that happened? They’d had one date. One date, and then a dozen more, and long nights spent watching movies and talking about anything and everything. They stole kisses between classes, after school, after practice, after evenings out or evenings in. And then sweet kisses turned heated, and it was hard to _behave_ and keep hands where they belonged, but it was just as hard to stop kissing, and sometimes — well, sometimes, they didn’t.

Tony’s fears had been unfounded. Bucky _was_ a good person, and so were his friends. And if Tony had fallen for Bucky, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

A few weeks after their first date, they had started texting. The first conversation had been about pet names.

_March 1st_

10:01am Bucky: hey doll.

10:01am Tony: doll?

10:02am Bucky: pet name. you okay with that? I can call you something else

10:04am Bucky: ?

10:05am Tony: I like it.

10:05am Tony: as long as I can call you Hot Stuff.

10:05am Tony: ;)

10:06am Bucky: wanna come over tonight after practice?

10:07am Tony: do you even have to ask?

10:07am Tony: I’ll be there at 8.

10:07am Tony: and I’ll bring Chinese food.

The second conversation had been about Bucky’s birthday.

_March 8th_

10:11pm Tony: hey, do you want a robot?

10:12pm Bucky: ...is this a trick question?

10:12pm Tony: It’s your birthday in a few weeks. I was thinking of making you a robot.

10:13pm Bucky: can you make one that’s like a droid from Star Wars?

10:13pm Tony: you’re a bigger nerd than I am.

10:13pm Tony: yes.

10:13pm Tony: one Star Wars droid coming up.

10:14pm Bucky: you’re the best.

The third conversation had been about Bucky’s big game.

_March 18th_

6:45pm Bucky: sorry I can’t come over tonight.

6:50pm Tony: it’s okay.

6:51pm Tony: what’s with these late practices, though? you’ve had a couple this week.

6:52pm Bucky: I know. it’s prep for the big game, second weekend in April.

6:53pm Bucky: scouts are gonna be there

6:53pm Bucky: apparently it’s a big deal for college scholarships.

6:53pm Tony: guess that sounds important.

6:54pm Tony: same weekend as my robot building competition - otherwise I’d go.

6:56pm Bucky: everything’s always on the same day

6:56pm Bucky: stupid school.

6:57pm Bucky: anyway, I gotta go. I’ll text you later <3

After that, the texts had stopped… stopping. Every message was part of a conversation that never ended, just paused and picked back up again.

_March 21st_

11:35pm Tony: the robots are planning an uprising

11:40pm Tony: they’re watching me

1:56am Tony: if I’m found dead, start the investigation with Dum-E

5:45am Bucky: sorry, was asleep. did the robots kill you?

6:12am Tony: yes. I am now dead.

6:12am Bucky: would some Starbucks bring you back to life?

6:15am Tony: yes. yes it would.

6:20am Bucky: great. pick you up in 15.

6:21am Tony: you are a saint. :*

_March 25th_

2:45am Bucky: you still awake?

2:45am Tony: you bet

2:45am Tony: why are YOU awake?

2:46am Bucky: just wanted to say goodnight.

2:47am Tony: that’s cute. goodnight. :)

_March 29th_

1:50pm Tony: I don’t understand why I need a physical education.

1:50pm Tony: nobody plays badminton anymore.

3:05pm Bucky: did you get hit in the face again?

4:01pm Tony: yes.

4:02pm Tony: where are you? want to kiss you goodbye before practice.

4:05pm Bucky: got caught up at the library.

4:05pm Tony: I’m going to need a photo for proof

4:06pm Bucky: _photo_message.IMG_

4:06pm Tony: wow. color me impressed.

4:07pm Tony: …still want to make out with you so I’ll meet you there.

_April 2nd_

5:15am Tony: do you know what today is?

5:16am Bucky: Tuesday?

5:16am Bucky: kidding, of course I do.

5:16am Bucky: happy 2 months <3

5:17am Tony: expect a ridiculous surprise later. no hints.

_April 6th_

2:37pm Tony: hey, that thing I said to you yesterday?

2:37pm Tony: I’ve been meaning to say it for a long time.

2:38pm Bucky: I waited a while too

2:38pm Tony: really?

2:38pm Bucky: was afraid you didn’t feel the same.

2:39pm Tony: me too. still kinda scared to say it now.

2:40pm Bucky: that’s okay. don’t have to text it

2:40pm Bucky: not right away.

11:00pm Tony: not afraid anymore.

“Tony, I’m sittin’ right next to you.”

“Shush,” Tony said, covering Bucky’s mouth with two fingers. “I’m writing you a note.”

11:01pm Tony: I love you.

11:02pm Bucky: I know.

“Ugh!” Tony pushed Bucky toward the other end of the couch. “I wish you’d never seen those terrible movies.”

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

Tony crossed his arms in feigned irritation, looking pointedly away. He could hear Bucky typing, then felt his phone vibrate again.

11:04pm Bucky: I love you too.

11:04pm Tony: good.

~

It was the Thursday before Tony’s robot building competition — the Thursday before Bucky’s big game — when everything went to hell. Tony sat down to lunch with Bucky and his friends, setting his tray down between Steve and Bucky. Clint and Sam had already finished their food, and Natasha was pushing peas around her plate, looking bored.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the lovebirds,” Clint teased. 

Tony rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, does Bucky tell you guys _everything_ I say to him?” He cracked open his diet coke and took a sip, trying not to let it bother him that that particular private detail had apparently been shared with the larger group.

“Pretty much,” Natasha said with a shrug. “He tells Steve more than the rest of us, because Steve is his _best_ friend, and we’re just his close friends.”

“Nat, c’mon. Bucky and I have-”

“Known each other since kindergarten, I know, I know.” Natasha raised an eyebrow at Steve, but didn’t say anything more.

“Just think,” Clint said, throwing an arm around Sam who immediately brushed him off. “If Nat hadn’t made that bet, you two would’ve never become a couple. And then you never would’ve known true love.”

Tony nearly choked. He swallowed carefully, then looked up. “Bet?” he asked.

_You were waiting for the bottom to drop out from underneath you,_ Tony thought. _Here it is._

Clint’s mouth closed abruptly. He looked at Nat, then at Bucky. “Shit. You didn’t tell him, did you?”

Bucky’s face was entirely expressionless. “Tony.” He met Tony’s eyes. “Can we talk? Alone?”

Tony nodded numbly. “Yeah. Sure. Let’s, uh — let’s go find somewhere to talk.”

~

The chem lab was empty, and Tony left the lights off as he and Bucky stepped inside.

“Okay,” Tony said slowly. “I’m going to need you to elaborate on this for me.”

“Tony, I-”

“It was a bet? Did you ask me out on a bet?”

“Tony, hang on.”

_Fuck._ Bucky wasn’t even denying it. So it was true, then. “Be honest, did you ever want to date me? Or was I just some sort of conquest?”

“Of course I wanted to date you.”

“Once you had permission from your friends, you mean?”

“It ain’t like that.”

“Then what is it like? Explain to me how you come out of this as anything but an asshole.” Tony knew that wasn’t true. Bucky wasn’t an asshole. But Tony felt used and heartbroken, and he didn’t know how not to be angry. 

“I was too scared to ask you out,” Bucky said. “Tony, please. Don’t — don’t make this more than it is. I was pining over you and too afraid to do anythin’ about it. Nat just gave me a push is all. Besides, it’s not like I took the money.”

Tony huffed a hollow laugh. “Gee, that’s big of you.” 

So maybe Bucky hadn’t taken the money. But Bucky had still done it. And he had still kept it from Tony. That was the worst part. If Bucky had told Tony sooner, at a better moment — if Bucky had admitted the truth rather than letting Clint blunder in and accidentally uncover the lie… Tony shook his head. He didn’t want to be angry with Bucky. He wanted to forget it, to let it slide as the simple silly problem that it was, but he couldn’t. He needed to breathe, needed to _think,_ and he couldn’t do that locked up in the chem lab in the dark with Bucky looking like he’d just lost everything. 

“Look, I, um.” Tony let out a shaky breath. “I can’t do this right now. I have to go.”

Without another word, Tony turned and ran, the door falling closed behind him as he sprinted down the hall. He didn’t know where he was going. He just needed not to be _here._

It didn’t take him long to find another empty classroom, and he ducked inside, leaning against the wall. This wasn’t possible. It had been a trick after all. Bucky had played him for a fool. And the worst part was, Tony had fallen for it. Fallen for Bucky. Tony sank to the floor, his throat right, his eyes stinging. 

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit._

~

Of course, Tony didn’t get the luxury of hiding out for long. Lunch period ended, and after lunch, ironically, was gym glass. One benefit of not touching his food during lunch was that he wouldn’t end up with a side cramp this time. 

_That’s great. Always looking on the bright side._

Tony might not have been the strongest or the most athletic, but he was fast. His eight-minute mile left him thirty minutes to sit on the bleachers and sulk. Twenty of those minutes were spent in blissful silence. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar head of red hair pulled back into a ponytail. Natasha. Of course. Tony avoided her gaze as she approached, pretending to look interested in his fingernails. 

_Please, for the love of god, don’t come over here. Just leave me alone._

No such luck. “Hey,” Natasha said, sitting down next to him and leaning back to rest her elbows on the second row of bleachers. “Can I talk to you?”

“I’m a little concerned you might kick my ass if I said no, so I guess I can’t stop you.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to kick your ass.”

“What a relief.”

She frowned at him. “That attitude is seriously unattractive.”

Tony didn’t care. He was allowed to have an attitude. He wasn’t about to pretend to be in a better mood just for Natasha’s benefit. 

Natasha sighed, trying again. “Look. Somebody important lied to you. I get it. But I’m the one who made the bet with Barnes, okay? I’m the one who knew just the right lever to pull. So if there’s anyone you should be mad at, it’s me.”

Tony stayed silent. If Natasha had piqued his interest — and who was he kidding, of course she had, because as much as he hated himself for it, he wanted to know the terms of this stupid bet — he wasn’t about to let her know it.

“He was just making these disgusting puppy dog eyes whenever you walked by,” Natasha continued, sounding just a little exasperated. “And despite what we told him about you clearly not caring about the whole jock thing, he wasn’t willing to just go _talk_ to you, so. I gave him some incentive.”

Tony could see the logic. It made sense. Really, Bucky’s friends had been looking out for him. They had made the bet in good faith.

_Then how come it still stings?_

“I don’t like being a pawn in anybody’s game,” Tony said.

“I’m sorry,” Natasha replied. “I didn’t mean to make you one. I just had to stop him from being a pining idiot.”

“Yeah. I get that.” If Rhodey had done something similar, would Tony have gotten up the courage to ask Bucky out first? Tony wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to that.

“Believe it or not, he actually cares about you. He talks about you all the time, it’s actually kind of gross.” She stood, turning to face him. “Anyway. Break up with him if you want. It’d be a stupid thing to do, but hey. Just because you’re a genius, doesn’t mean you’re smart.” She took a few steps backward, then turned around and headed toward the girls’ locker room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Tony chewed on Natasha’s words until the bell signaled the end of the class period, wondering what exactly he was supposed to do. He wanted to forgive Bucky, wanted to forget all about all of this. He wanted his boyfriend back. He wanted to stop feeling betrayed. None of them had meant any harm. But some prideful part of him wouldn’t let him rush straight to Bucky’s side.

_Come on, Stark. You know you’re going to forgive him eventually. Why drag it out?_

Sighing, Tony pulled out his phone and scrolled to his last text conversation with Bucky. He started typing, stopped, then started again.

_April 9th_

1:45pm Tony: talked with Nat.

1:45pm Tony: I need a little more time.

He pocketed his phone before he could see whether or not Bucky had read it. That would just make him crave a reply, and for all he knew, he wouldn’t get one. If he was going to ask Bucky for space, then he ought to give himself some space, too. So that’s what he did. He ignored his phone through the rest of the day and through the evening, and in the early hours of the morning, when he was tempted to text Bucky the most, he put his phone in the fridge just to keep it out of sight.

~

Tony was tempted to stay home from school the next day, but he needed the practice time with his team before the competition on Saturday. He hadn’t slept, but that was hardly new. For the first time, Tony cursed the number of intersections he had with Bucky in a day. Four classes. Four classes where he had to pretend to ignore Bucky because he was still processing, and he couldn’t do that with Bucky looking at him with those forlorn eyes. Tony was thankful when the final bell rang and he could retreat to Tech Club and put the rest of the day behind him.

Saturday morning finally came, and Tony had actually managed to sleep a few hours the night before. That and a venti vanilla latte from Starbucks had him feeling refreshed and ready for the competition. 

_Ready as you’ll ever be, given the circumstances._

Yes, his fight with Bucky — could it even be called a fight? — was still bothering him, but he couldn’t think about it. He had a whole team counting on him, and this robot wasn’t going to build itself. What he needed to do was focus.

_Easier said than done._

The competition was being held at one of the local middle schools, since the gym was apparently the largest one available in a five mile radius. Tony had arrived early thanks to Jarvis, and he’d been deep in conversation with the team for the last twenty minutes, sipping at his coffee and talking through strategy.

“Hey Tony,” Jane said, her gaze fixed over his shoulder.

“What’s up?”

“I think that guy’s here to see you,” she said, nodding in the direction of the bleachers. “He keeps staring at you.”

Tony turned around slowly. Jane was right. There was Bucky, standing in front of the bleachers in jeans and a hoodie, looking adorably apologetic. What was Bucky doing here? Bucky had a game in less than _fifteen minutes._ Bucky’s future depended on that game. What was he doing throwing it away just to talk to Tony?

_Maybe he has a different, more important future in mind. A future with you._

Well. That made being mad about a well-intentioned bet seem pretty silly, didn’t it?

“Thanks, Jane.” Tony set his coffee down and rose from the table. “Sorry guys. I’ll… I’ll be right back.” He made his way toward Bucky, trying his best to sound angry when he asked, “What’re you doing here?”

“This guy I’ve been seein’ has a competition today. Somethin’ about building a robot? Didn’t wanna miss it.”

Tony’s heart fluttered in his chest. “What about your game?”

Bucky shrugged. “Ain’t important.”

That just wasn’t true. “Bucky. The scouts. Your scholarship.”

“I can get the scholarship some other way.” Tony took a breath to respond, but Bucky cut him off. “I’m not as smart as you, nowhere near, but my grades are alright. I’ll figure somethin’ out.”

“Bucky, that’s…” Tony didn’t know what to say. He smiled, because damn it, Bucky had shown up just to make a gesture, and how dare he try and trick Tony out of being mad? Worse, how dare it actually work? 

“Look,” Bucky said, his hands moving to frame Tony’s face. “I know you asked for time. But I just thought — I was worried that if I didn’t show up now, you might change your mind. Decide you didn’t wanna be with me after all.”

Tony let out a sigh, feeling defeated and elated all at once. “Of course I want to be with you, you big dummy.” Tony closed the distance and kissed him, hard and fast. _Thank god._ He’d almost forgotten what kissing Bucky felt like. It felt perfect. Like coming home. “I really appreciate the statement you made showing up here, I do. But I don’t want you to lose your scholarship because of me.” He glanced quickly at the clock. “If you hurry you can still make your game.”

“Steve dropped me here, I don’t have a ride.”

“My car’s parked in the lot. Jarvis can take you.”

“What about you?”

“Believe it or not, Jarvis is capable of coming back here once he’s dropped you off,” Tony said. “If I’m lucky, maybe I can catch the end of your game.” Tony kissed Bucky again, longer this time, lingering. It was the kind of kiss that Bucky would be thinking about for hours afterward, or at least, Tony hoped it was. “That was a kiss for luck. Now get out of here!”

He shoved Bucky backward, and Bucky went willingly, an enormous smile on his face. “I’ll see you at the game, Stark,” he called when he’d made it across the room. “But you better win first!”

“I’ll win if you do,” Tony called after him. Bucky stood there, staring like an idiot, and Tony rolled his eyes, gesturing wildly at Bucky to leave the damn building already. “Go!”

Bucky finally disappeared through the doorway, and Tony breathed out, running a hand through his hair.

_Alright, Stark. Win the competition. Get to the game. Kiss the heck out of your boyfriend. You got that?_

“Got it,” Tony said aloud.

~

Tony made it to the field with minutes left on the clock. He jumped out of the car as soon as Jarvis pulled into the parking lot, sprinting toward the stands. Spotting Natasha and Clint in the crowd, he took the stairs two at a time, nearly out of breath when he reached them.

“Stark! Nice of you to join us,” Clint said.

“Come sit.” Natasha scooted over to make space for him, and Tony sat down. “They’re on the final play. One more touchdown and we win.”

Tony watched with rapt attention, kicking himself for not doing more research to better understand the rules of this damn game. After all, his boyfriend was the captain. He ought to know something about it. Minutes passed. The ball exchanged hands, and then Tony saw Bucky break away and run. Damn. Tony had never seen anyone run so fast or so hard, and then Bucky caught the ball and tore toward the end of the field, running harder and faster. Dodge. Dodge. Sprint. Dive. 

_Touchdown._

The crowd erupted in cheers. Everyone around them stood up, and Tony stood too, his heart beating out of his chest. “Yes!” he found himself shouting and jumping, not caring how ridiculous he looked. “Woo-hoo!” 

Bucky jogged back to the middle of the field, helmet in hand, to be surrounded by the rest of the team. That was where Tony should have been. Down on the field, cheering and celebrating.

_Well. What’re you waiting for? Get down there!_

“Oh, Stark, I forgot to ask. How was your competition?” Clint asked over the roar.

Tony barely heard the question. He was already racing down the stairs and onto the field, pushing past the huddle of cheerleaders to throw his arms around Bucky’s neck and kiss him for all he was worth. Bucky hoisted him up, and then Tony’s legs were around Bucky’s waist and Bucky was kissing him back, the rest of the world forgotten.

When they finally broke apart, Bucky looked down at him and asked, “So. Did you win?”

Tony nodded, his breath stolen, his face flushed. “Yep. We won.”

“Good,” Bucky said, leaning down to kiss him again. “I’m glad.”

  
~

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Stop by my [tumblr](https://sopherfly.tumblr.com/) to see what I'm working on, or just to say hi! :)


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